A Night Around The Kitchen Table
by Elle Winters
Summary: Rose Weasley can't sleep, so Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny tell her some tales of old...


It was 11.30pm, and Rose Weasley couldn't sleep.

Padding downstairs in her pink fluffy slippers and dressing gown, she headed towards the kitchen, where she found, to her surprise, that her parents, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, were all still up, sipping mugs of tea.

"Rose!" exclaimed Ron, getting up and walking over to her. "Are you ok, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," yawned Rose, giving her dad a hug. "I just couldn't sleep, that's all."

"Do you want a drink?" asked her mum, standing up.

"Can I have some hot chocolate?" she asked, wondering whether or not she was pushing it.

Hermione paused, but then smiled and shook her head.

"Of course you can. Sit down, and I'll get it for you."

"Thanks mum," she said, taking a seat between her aunt and uncle.

Sitting back down, Ron said, "You getting nervous?"

Rose gulped.

It was the 31st August, and tomorrow, she would begin her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Mhmm," she admitted, feeling slightly tearful.

"Aw, Rose, don't worry about it!" smiled Ginny, turning round and giving her a hug. "You'll be fine. When I was little, I couldn't _wait_ to go to Hogwarts!"

"Really?" breathed Rose, pulling away from her. "You weren't scared?"

"Not a bit," said Ginny, proudly. "If anything, I was annoyed that I was a year younger than these three! They got to go off and have all these adventures, and I was stuck at home, all by myself!"

"But I don't know _anyone_ at Hogwarts!" wailed Rose.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you do!" exclaimed Harry, shaking his head. "You've got your entire _family_ there. When I went to Hogwarts, I didn't know _anybody_!"

Rose's eyes widened.

"Not even mum and dad and Aunt Ginny?"

"Not even them," nodded Harry, his eyes shining as he took a trip down memory lane.

"I only found out I was a wizard a few weeks before Hogwarts started – before that, I didn't even know the wizarding world existed!"

"You didn't know it existed?!" gaped Rose, stunned at this revelation. "Didn't your parents tell you that you were a wizard?"

Harry smiled slightly.

"My parents died when I was a baby; I lived with my muggle aunt, uncle and cousin up until I got my letter from Hogwarts. That was one of the happiest days of my life. Except, of course, for when I married your Aunt Ginny," he added hurriedly, as Ginny smacked him playfully on the arm.

"I should think so," conceded Ginny, taking a sip of her tea. "It was the same for your mum, Rose – she didn't know wizards and witches existed either!"

"That's right," smiled Hermione, passing Rose a fresh mug of hot chocolate and sitting down next to her husband. "My parents were muggles too – I was what's known as a 'muggle-born'. That means that there's no one in my family who can perform magic."

"But, if you're a muggle-born, what does that make me? Because dad's a wizard, and you're a witch, does that mean I'm pure-blood?"

"Not quite," said Harry, shaking his head. "That makes you half-blood, like I am."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" frowned Rose.

"It will do," said Hermione softly. "But one thing I will say: don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you that muggle-borns and half-bloods are less-worthy than pure-bloods – it makes no difference what blood you have; all that matters is that you're magical."

"Ok," Rose nodded, although she wasn't sure if she completely understood what her mum was talking about. "So, was it love at first sight for you and dad?"

All the adults around the table laughed.

"Not exactly," grinned Ron.

"You're dad and I didn't quite see eye to eye," smiled Hermione.

"In other words, your mum was a complete know-it-all and annoyed the heck out of me!"

Rose gasped.

"You didn't like mum?!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," said Ron coyly, glancing at Hermione lovingly. "I think I was just threatened by her huge brain-capacity. And the fact that I fancied her like mad."

"Aw," said Hermione, leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "That is so sweet."

Pretending to make herself sick, Rose pressed on, "Yes, but how did you become friends? If you didn't get on, then why are you together now?!"

"Well, we can thank one of our old Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers for that," said Ron, winking at Harry.

"How come?" asked Rose in confusion.

A _teacher_ had got her parents together?!

"Well, he didn't do it directly, but if he hadn't have done what he did, who knows what our lives would be like now!"

"Alright dad, stop being so dramatic; just tell me what he did!"

Taking a deep breath, Ron said theatrically, "He let s troll into the castle, and me and your Uncle Harry saved your mum's life!"

Rose squealed.

"You saved her _life?!_"

"Uh huh," said Ron, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Well… your dad might be exaggerating _slightly_…"

"Excuse me!" cried Ron, sounding wounded. "I am not! I never exaggerate anything!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Hermione, looking at her husband sarcastically, "Who was it that, and I quote, 'struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily-armed merpeople who had to be you into submission before tying you up'?"

As Ron turned red, Rose pushed on, "You battled mermaids?!"

"Well, we didn't battle mermaids. But we battled loads of other stuff."

"Like what?" breathed Rose, her eyes alight with captivation.

"Erm… three headed dogs, giant snakes… werewolves… grindylows…"

"Brains," added Ron.

"Brains," repeated Harry, "And loads of other stuff too."

"Why?" asked Rose, looking bewildered. "Why'd you have to fight it all?"

"Er, perhaps it's time for Rose to go to bed?" cut in Hermione, looking pointedly at her husband.

"Oh, yes, right," said Ron gruffly, realising they were in danger of saying too much. "Yes, I think it's time you went to bed. You don't want to be knackered in the morning!"

"But what about all those other stories?! The ones about horrible reporters, and jealous friends, and stuff like that?!" moaned Rose, looking disappointed. "When will you tell me about those?"

"When you're a bit older," smiled Hermione, chivvying Rose out of her seat. "Now off you go, and try not to wake your brother and cousins up."

Frowning slightly, Rose gave her mum, dad, Harry and Ginny a kiss on the cheek in turn, then turned to leave the room.

"Oh, and Rose?"

She turned back to look at her mum.

"We love you."

She smiled and said, "I love you all too. See you tomorrow!"

Ron shook his head as his little girl dashed out of the room.

"They grow up so fast."

"So very true," agreed Hermione, going over and sitting on his lap. "Let's just hope they don't grow up as fast as we did."

"Never," grinned Ron, wrapping his arms round her. "They're all to smart to get into any of the trouble we did!"

And with that, they all cracked up laughing.

"Heaven help Hogwarts when all the Weasleys and Potters arrive," grinned Ginny.


End file.
